I'd Have Used Aluminium (But I'm Crazy)
by CrazyHoltzy
Summary: Holtzmann… Abby had known Holtzmann for years. Yet she knew next to nothing about the crazed engineer. She knew she liked loud music, radiation, women, ghosts, Pringles, and digging around in dumpsters. - Abby muses on Holtz, part flashback, part plot.
1. One

Abby Yates spends a lot of her time thinking about other people. And soup. But mostly other people.

Erin, Erin she's known forever, knows everything about. Anything she didn't know, it wasn't hard to find. Quick Google search here and there had every answer Abby could want, and it's not like asking Erin was difficult, especially since she answers everything Abby asks anyway.

Patty. Patty Tolan was an open book, ready to tell Abby stories about anything and everything, about her life, about the metro line, about any and all buildings in New York. Patty was the most open about her family, the gang had met most of them. Patty was also the type to answer anything Abby asked.

But Holtzmann… Abby had known Holtzmann for years. Yet she knew next to nothing about the crazed engineer. She knew she liked loud music, radiation, women, ghosts, Pringles, and digging around in dumpsters. That's how she'd met her. The great Dr Jillian Holtzmann, looking for electrical trinkets and food in the dumpster in her building.

* * *

 _"Great." Abby sighed, faced again with that damned poster, taped up to the garbage chute. Not working, again. Abby sighed, lugging her back of trash over her shoulder, ready to make the 10 flight journey down to the dumpster in the alley beside her complex._

 _The air wasn't exactly fresh outside as she walked down the alley to the dumpster, stopping when she saw a pair of legs clad in flared stained denim sticking up from it. Her first thought was calling the police to a body dump, but then the legs, moved as something inside made a bang, and then an "Ow!" Dropping her bag, she ran over grabbing the legs of the person and pulling them out of the dumpster._

 _"Let go!" The blur of blonde hair yelled, trying to jump back into the dumpster, but Abby held her firm, putting her back on solid ground, not letting go of the clearly feisty blonde woman. "If I don't get that part, it'll blow up!"_

 _"Whoa! Cool your jets!" Abby wasn't exactly in the mood to be dealing with a crazy homeless person, but the woman in front of her looked to be early 20's, and she couldn't just leave her. So she stepped back towards her bag to get a better look at the woman. "Who are you?"_

 _"Oh! Yes, socially acceptable to introduce yourself." The woman stuttered her way through the odd sounding sentence, and Abby watched as she wiped her hand on her dungarees and shoved it out in front of her. "Holtzmann. Or Holtz if you're friendly."_

 _"Dr Abby Yates." Abby took the offered hand, giving it a firm shake as she frowned. Holtz retracted her hand and pointed to the bag by Abby's feet._

 _"Is that trash? Got anything electrical?"_

 _"Jillian? Dr Jillian Holtzmann?" Abby blinked. It couldn't be. She'd heard the name Holtzmann before, from the news. Underneath the woman's yellow goggles, one of Holtz's eyes twitched at the mention of her first name._

 _"Um… yeah. Either electrical or food, I'm looking for both." Holtz bounced on the soles of her feet as she spoke, gently rocking herself as she kept eyes locked with the trash bag at Abby's feet. Abby didn't know what to say. In front of her was an esteemed scientist, youngest ever nuclear engineer graduate, called a new age genius by her peers, was stood in front of her asking her if she had food in her trash bag._

 _"Let's go inside, I'll get you some real food."_

* * *

Holtz shimmied past Abby's desk, lip-syncing to DeBarge again, winking at Erin as she moved her hips in time to the beat. Abby shook her head at the pair, as Erin picked up a fire extinguisher as Holtz danced closer to her desk, using a lit blowtorch as a microphone.

* * *

 _"Welcome to my home." Holtz held the door to the apartment open, swinging down dramatically as she motioned for Abby to go in. They'd been working together for a year and Holtz finally got to leave Abby's couch and get her own apartment with the money she was making from selling trinkets and charging for repairs throughout Higgins. A lot of the professors thought she was the "crazy janitor", but Holtz didn't mind, they left her alone, and she was grateful._

 _"This is… nice." Abby was stopped just inside the door, so Holtz shimmied past her, motioning around the room._

 _"This is the living room slash kitchen slash dining room slash bedroom slaaaaaash workshop." When Abby turned to face Holtz, the blonde was grinning proudly, and Abby couldn't help but smile too. The apartment was terrible, the bed was a mattress on the floor, surrounded by cans of Pringles and a few beer cans, and the kitchen was a mini fridge and a microwave. The rest of the room was taken up by pieces of machinery and wires, and some glowing liquid that Abby assumes is probably radioactive._

 _But she smiled, because Holtz was smiling. Because she bought a place to live, she wasn't sleeping on Abby's sofa or at the school. And if this place made Holtz happy, it made Abby happy._

* * *

Abby was brought back by the whoosh of the fire extinguisher as Erin let loose with the foam, Patty running towards them with a towel. Abby frowned, watching on as the extinguisher ran out of foam, and the cloud disappeared to leave a foam covered Holtz in it's place.

"You set yourself on fire!" Erin's voice rang across the room, and Abby shook her head once again. Of all the things Holtz has set on fire, she wasn't one of them, until now. Abby chuckled, picking her pen back up and touching tip to paper. There was a few seconds of peace until she heard something that truly frightened her to the bone.

"Uh oh."

From anyone else, Abby would have looked up and perhaps rolled her eyes. Erin would probably have spilt coffee on her skirt, or Patty had dropped a library book on the floor. Nothing too bad. But that small sound coming from Holtzmann? That was bad. Holtz never said 'uh oh'. Nothing phased the eccentric engineer. But that gentle uttered sentence had her up and on her feet in a second, likewise with Erin and Patty.

"Holtz?" Holtz was slowly backing away from her desk, blue energy crackling off one of the devices on her desk. From the other side of the fire house, Abby couldn't see what it was. But it probably wasn't good.

"Uh, it would be… advisable… for everyone to get their proton packs." Holtz was still backing up, putting more space in between the device and herself, and everyone else. Since Holtz's workshop took up half the floor, Abby, Erin and Patty were in the other half, the device beeping and shooting electricity off it, separated the Ghostbusters, and Holtz from her proton pack. The other three were in their proton packs in now time, proton guns drawn, feet planted firmly on the floor.

"Holtzmann, what's happening?" Erin asked, now shouting above the beeping and the electrical discharge. "Wait, is that an ionisation discharge?"

"Holtz, what have you been tinkering with?" Abby asked, the familiar smell hitting her like a brick wall.

"I may, may, have slightly "acquired" one of Rowan's… ghost machines. And it may perhaps be working again." I would have aluminium, but I'm crazy. Just as Holtzmann stopped talking, the device exploded on her desk, sending out an electrical surge. The lights in the building blew one by one, until the room was illuminated by the independently powered lamps throughout the room, powered by solar panels Holtz had also "acquired" and attached to the roof, probably breaking a few federal laws in the process.

In place of the device, stood 4 figures, clad head to toe in firefighter gear, wielding axes. If possible, Holtz's usual wide eyed stare seemed to grow wider, as no-one moved.

Well, no-on moved for a few moments anyway, until 4 fireaxes came hurtling towards Holtz, digging themselves into the wall behind her as the young engineer hit the floor.

* * *

 _"Holtzmann." Erin was sat on Abby's desk, legs crossed over one another, hands in her lap, watching the engineer sing something that sounded like 'Get Ghost' over and over again._

 _"What about her?" Abby asked, not looking up. Erin was seemingly always mulling over the engineer, trying to unwrap and study the enigma that was Jillian Holtzmann._

 _"Nothing. Well, not nothing per say. I keep thinking about Rowan." Erin sighed and Abby put her pen down, finally looking up at her longest friend._

 _"Okay?" Abby looked from Erin to Holtz, who was tapping out a beat on something that looked like a bomb._

 _"His equipment was exactly like ours. He used the same stuff we use, only in reverse. And it was so easy for Holtzmann to shut it down. And the comment about using aluminium." Erin started fiddling with the bottom of her jumper, not looking at Holtz or Abby, and Abby leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes. She had a faint idea where Erin was heading, had headed there a few days ago herself, and didn't like thinking about it._

 _"You think Holtzmann could have turned out like Rowan?"_

 _"Am I a horrible friend?" Erin grimaced, looking back up to Abby's eyes for the first time since the conversation started. Abby sighed again, taking a deep breath, and shook her head._

 _"No, not a bad friend. But, I don't think she could have. The world shit on Rowan his whole life, but Holtz? I'd bet real money she had it worse than Rowan at every turn. Rowan was picked on? Boo hoo, he's a straight white man. He got called names? Holtz is a gay woman. He never came close to real oppression. Holtz has been through the worst of the worst, yet she's never lost that big smile from her face yet."_

 _"You're right. I shouldn't have been thinking that way. I am a terrible friend." Erin pulled at a loose thread, unwittingly unthreading her jumper. Abby's hands on hers stilled her destructive work._

 _"You're not a terrible friend. I thought about it too. So has Patty. So has Holtz. And so did Rowan." Abby still had Erin's hands in her hands, prying them off of the bottom of her jumper. She'd fix that later, find a way to rethread the knitting. She'd spent years sewing up Holtzmann's clothes, she was a dab had at home economics._

 _"Rowan?" Erin asked, her attention piqued, allowing Abby to easily draw her hands away from their task._

 _"Oh right, you weren't there. Rowan—Rowan possessed me." Erin gasped and Abby held up a hand. "I need you to not talk through this. This is… this is hard to recount. I'm still processing it myself." Abby looked down, unable to look at Erin now, the roles reversed. She still felt Erin nod her agreement however. "Rowan possessed me, and I—I broke the proton packs. And Holtzmann." She felt Erin tense up, heard her gulp audibly. "Rowan threw her across the room, then he—I, picked her up by the throat and walked to the window, using her body to break it. Then I dropped her. If Patty wasn't there—Rowan knew Holtz was his main threat. He went out of his way to eliminate her before going ahead with his plan." Abby felt Erin's fingers on her face, thumbs swiping at tears that were rolling down her cheeks._

 _"Abby…"_

 _"But that's not who Holtzmann is. She's not like Rowan."_

* * *

Abby's proton gun whirred into action, trapping one of the firefighters, akin to two other of the apparitions, trapped in Patty and Erin's identical streams. The last one was going to be a problem, that, and they had nowhere to store 4 ghosts. The three Ghostbusters pulled back with their guns, flinging the ghosts towards them, shutting off their proton guns as they flew over, grabbing for their sidearms. If they couldn't capture, re-killing was the only way to go.

They put up an impressively good fight, and Abby blamed their height as a factor. It was like fighting a ghost version of Kevin, only supernaturally powered and able to dodge a punch. Shit, what did they used to teach firefighters? Abby got one punch off, right to the gut, and the firefighter exploded, ectoplasm firing backwards, covering Erin, who slipped to the floor, so Abby ran over, delivering a punch to the firefighter Erin was fighting too, accidently launching more goo at Erin.

A crash made her look up, watching many of Holtz's toys fall to the floor as the ghost intervened Holtz's attempt to grab an experimental pocket sized proton gun, grabbing Holtz's wrist and backhanding her across the room. Abby's eyes widened, and she took off to help her friend.

Immediately she tripped over Erin and the good, falling flat on her face and watching as the proton puncher, as she'd called it, span off towards Holtz. She could only watch on as the ghost picked up the proton puncher, and swung towards Holtz, who grabbed a large piece of metal sheet just in time to deflect the punch. The force pushed outwards, obliterating the two remaining ghosts in the shockwave, knocking Patty to the floor. Abby had never understood the phrase 'it seemed like it was happening in slow motion' until this point. As the shockwave spread out, Holtz's shield was forced back, pushing Holtz off her feet, a force had enough to send Holtz reeling back, through the large window, and out into the New York night. _No..._

"Holtzmann!"


	2. Two

_"Holtz? Do you live here?" Abby perched her head on her hands, elbows on the table, careful not to touch anything that looked too radioactive. Patty and Erin had gone home, and Abby had stayed behind to finish working on her latest hypothesis. She'd sat and watched Holtz solder and dance at the same time for over an hour, until she finally walked over to the eccentric blonde._

 _"Whaaaaaaat?" Holtz's eyes widened as she tilted her head back and pushed her bottom jaw out, pulling her safety glasses down onto the tip of her nose, motorbike goggles holding her hair out of her face as always._

 _"Do you live here, Jillian?" Abby never used Holtz's first name. The sound of it caused Holtz to level her head, and push her glasses back onto her face, turning out around to pick up a piece of sheet metal._

 _"I think I could make a proton riot shield. Like the proton puncher, but a full riot shield." Holtz held the shield between her and Abby. "I have attached two handles to it." A peace sign appeared from behind the shield, but no Holtz. Abby leaned forward, using the desk to push her up, and grabbed the top of the shield pushing it down to the floor, uncovering Holtz._

 _"Do you live here?" Abby asked again. Anyone else, and her patience would have worn out by the 2_ _nd_ _time asking, but her patience with Holtzmann was infinite. It was hard for Holtz to talk about something she didn't want to talk about._

 _"I… I do sleep here. Don't you think a riot shield would be a good idea?" Holtz tried to lift the shield back up, but Abby ripped it from her grip, putting it down next to her, leaning it against the wall under the window ledge._

 _"I know you sleep here. Do you_ live _here?" The small nod was the only tell of Holtz's answer, and Abby took a look of sympathy. "What happened to the apartment?"_

 _"Noise complaints. And I burned a hole through to the apartment under me." Abby sighed, stepping round the table to pull Holtz into a hug. Neither of them were really the hugging type, but Holtz was uncomfortable talking about herself. Abby had known her long enough that Holtz was a closed book, and only opened when she wanted to share. Which was once in a blue moon. "But it's okay. This place is good. It has drinkable water, electricity. It's really close to where I work." Abby could only laugh as Holtz started telling her about the perks of living at the fire house._

"Jillian!" Abby was on her feet in no time, leaving Patty to get Erin up, who were close on her heels. Abby slid to a halt by the window, the cold wind of a New York Winter biting into her and it swirled round the office, blowing forgotten papers off desks, nothing more important than the safety of their engineer. First Abby, then Patty, then a goo covered Erin slid up to the window, hands on the ledge, glass biting into their hands, as they looked down for Holtz.

Abby was shaking. She remembered everything Rowan did in her body. Smashing the proton packs, throwing Holtz across the room, throwing the pipe at Patty, smashing Holtz through the window. Dropping her. Reliving those memories made her sick. Watching it happen again almost had her dry heave.

"Holtzy!" Patty's panicked yell from next to her drew her out of her memories, joining the other two to look down. Only there was no Holtz. Shattered glass littered the streets, but no Holtz. No blood either, which had Abby sighing so hard in relief she could have passed out.

"Um, guys?"

"Holtz?" The three Ghostbusters leaned further out of the window, looking directly down. "Holtz are you there?"

"It appears the shield has a parachute use. Well, for a while. If possible, could you please make your way to the street? Quick march!" Abby wasted no time following Holtz's dismembered voice, Erin and Patty clattering down the stairs as she jumped onto the fireman's pole, running faster than she ever had done before to the main doors, running into the thankfully empty street. Glass cracked under her foot. "Hello Abby." Abby shot her vision straight up, and made eye contact with Holtz, the latter smiling down at her.

"Holtz…" The shield had gotten caught on the two flagpoles that protruded from the front of the building, acting as a perch for the shield, which spanned across them, the handles attached to the shield allowing for Holtz to keep a grip on the shield and not fall to the glass covered street, 8 ft. below her. Patty and Erin stopped alongside her, glancing around at the glass, then at Abby, quickly following her line of sight.

"Holtzy!"

"Holtzmann!"

"Hello everyone." Holtz almost waved, before remembering where she was, and reapplied her grip to the shield.

"Holtzmann, listen. Let go on the count of three. We'll catch you." Erin directed Patty and Abby to stand directly under Holtz. Evidently when Erin said 'we' she really just meant Patty and Abby. "Okay, drop!"

Abby paused the video. Most of the city had now seen 'Ghostbuster Thrown Through Window' on YouTube. Holtz herself hadn't watched it. All Holtz had done since was push desks up against the window. The fire house probably lost 50% of its natural light, and Holtz would play it off as making her workshop more 'open plan', but to Abby it was clear. Holtzmann was scared of being near windows. She couldn't blame her. Abby had never felt what it is like to be thrown through windows, having your body used to smash through thick glass, but it was a clear sign. Holtzmann was capable of having a limit.

Holtz had a knowledge of basic safety.

Holtz knew when to stop.

Holtz wasn't likely to fry herself on an experimental portal machine to become a ghost and wreak havoc on New York by releasing thousands of ghosts by charging the ley lines.

Holtz wasn't Rowan.

Holtz was Holtz.

And Abby was comforted by that.


End file.
